Hernia-truss.



am 0 9 1 0 3 B N U J D E T N E .T A P E L 6 y 2 3 7 o N v HERNIA TRUSS.APPLICATION rILnn AUG. 10, 1896.

N0 MODEL.

m m. v m.

4770 EYs.

Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HEINRICH LOEWY, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

HERNlA-TRUSS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 732,361, dated Jun 30,1903. Application fi led August 10, 1896. serial :Ng. 602,237- (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, HEINRICH LoEWY, a

subject to the King of Prussia, Emperor of low rubber or elastic pad isfilled with water or any other suitable fluid. Trusses of this kind areknown to be more convenient to the wearer than those with a solid orbolstered pad, as the pressure of the water-filled pad is more soft andyielding; but in many cases, and particularly in severe cases of scrotalhernia, trusses of this kind will fail to retain the hernia, becausesoft and yielding pressure of the pad gives way. To prevent this, Iapply to the water-filled pad or cushion of the truss a suitablemechanical means for acting against the said water-filled pad a sidewardpressure, the result of which is to force the fluid contents of thecushion into a predetermined direction, and in consequence the tensionof the pad is concentrated to a comparatively small space on its lowersurface. The said sideward pressure acting against the water-filledcushion deforms the shape of said cushion in such a manner as to placethat part of its surface where the tension is greatest opposite thehernia which tends to escape, the said tension of the pad being strongenough to retain the hernia, which encounters the pressure in directopposition. The said pressure though being soft is not yielding onaccount of the tension obtained by the apparatus of my invention, andthe pad as a whole is nevertheless sufficiently soft to preventinconveniency, even if a very strong mainspring be employed to force thepad against the rupture.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the improvedhernia-truss in perspective View, the pad being shown in its normalstate and shape. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the water-filled padcompressed by a spring applied to its side.

A is the pad,-of rubber or other elastic material,filled with water,glycerin, or other suitable fluid, the said fluid being filled into thehollow pad through ashort flexible pipe (1, which when suificienttension of the pad has been obtained is bound up to prevent the escapeof fluid.

The belt is indicated by H and supports the pad A, to one side of which,corresponding with one edge of the belt, a flat metal spring B or ablade, strip, or band of other suitable material is secured in a mannerto be more or less tightly forced against the pad A. As a suitable meansto cause the said blade B to operate a pressure against the pad A, I,employa strap or band 11, secured to the spring or blade B and havingbuttonholes to be fastened to a button 0, projecting from the-frame ofpad A. The said button 0 may be replaced bya buckle or hookor othermeans to adjust the strap b, so as to act the desired degree of pressureagainst the pad A. By this means the pressure may be Varied as desired,and v if in the course of time the water-filled pad A will lose part ofits tension and become slack the pressure device B will serve to restorethe required degree of tension by being tightened up to the pad.

As illustrated in the drawings, the spring B has a natural tendency tolift from the pad,

and no pressure is being acted against the pad if the strap 1) is beingunbuttoned, as shown in Fig. 1; but in some cases it may be found usefulto arrange-the'spring B in a manner to normally exert its resilientpressure against the pad A, and in such case the strap or band I) totighten the spring up to the pad might be even omitted.

The spring B or blade, strip, or band may be suitably fastened with itsbase to the mainspring, and if a rigid piece B be applied instead of aspring it may be hinged to the base of the pad.

I wish it to be distinctly understood that the spring B or otherpressure device which serves, as described, to exert a pressure againstthe pad to force its fluid contents into a determined direction does notincrease or add to the pressure of the mainspring, which forces the padagainst the body. Auxiliary springs serving to increase the pressure ofthe mainspring are known and have been applied to trusses before; but myinvention consists in applying to a fluid-filled truss-pad means whichby their own resiliency or by a tightening device act to force thecontents of the pad into a determined direct-ion which is in a planetransverse to the back and contact portion, and thereby increase thetension of the pad on a predetermined space of its usefulcontact-surface.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a hernia-truss, the combination, with abelt, of an inflatable pad attached thereto,

3. In a hernia-truss in combination, a. belt, a spring thereon bentupward, a strap with holes therein in connection with the spring and aninflatable pad secured to the belt so arranged as to lie between therupture and the spring when the truss is applied and a ,button on thepad adapted to then engage the strap thereby flattening the pad andincreasing the pressure against the rupture.

4. In a hernia-truss, the combination, with a belt, of an inflatable padattached thereto, and means, attached to said belt at one edge of thesame, for contracting the corresponding side of the pad, substantiallyas set forth.

5. In a hernia-truss, the combination,with a belt, of an inflatable padattached thereto, a spring secured to said belt and extending over saidpad, a. strap attached to said spring, and a button on said pad adaptedto engage said strap, substantially as set forth.

HEINRICH LOEWY. Witnesses:

W. HAUPT, O. LENZ.

